11 Leadership Quotes From JFK That Still Resonate Today

John Fitzgerald Kennedy was the 35th president of the United States and in his short time as president, he oversaw the Cuban missile crisis at the height of the cold war and supported the civil rights movement.

While he lived on this earth for a mere 46 years and was president for only a short time, it was enough to show us the meaning of true leadership.

Here are some of his best quotes on leadership that still resonate today:

1. “For courage — not complacency — is our need today. Leadership — not salesmanship. And the only valid test of leadership is the ability to lead, and lead vigorously.”

2. “A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on. Ideas have endurance without death.”

3. “The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining…”

4. “…civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof. Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate.”

5. “No President should fear public scrutiny of his program. For from that scrutiny comes understanding; and from that understanding comes support or opposition. And both are necessary.”

6. “The problems of the world cannot possibly be solved by skeptics or cynics whose horizons are limited by the obvious realities. We need men who can dream of things that never were and ask ‘why not?”

7. “Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.”

8. “Man is still the most extraordinary computer of all.”

9. “There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less than the long range risks of comfortable inaction.”

10. “Once you say you’re going to settle for second, that’s what happens to you in life.”

11. “Those who dare to fail miserably can achieve greatly.”

Share This Post

About The Author

Edwin is the money hacking millennial behind Cash The Checks. He lives a minimalist lifestyle and is always eager to learn and share his methods to save and make money.